Outside brooder with wool hen

SheaLoner

Crowing
Feb 27, 2020
1,139
5,285
386
Upstate Ny
Well were I call home right now, its simply not possible to brood chicks indoors. And I happen to have a rabbit hutch with 1/4" hardware cloth that could be freed up.
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So outside rabbit hutch brooder.
Only I really really don't want to put my mama heating pad outside, I don't think I could waterproof the controller. And I use that heating pad when the chicks aren't.
What about a wool hen then? So I built one. Foam board, Gorilla tape and a $5 wool long coat from Good will.
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Not certain its right though so I found one of my seedling heat mats and put that at the bottom. We are still having nights below freezing for a few more weeks yet and there's only 6 chicks going in this week. 15 more coming next week. I Think I have too much space between the wool and the floor about 3" . Can you use hay in the brooder? Or should shavings piled high? To bring the floor up a few.


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I have a wireless thermometer I put in there to help keep an eye on them. Currently reading 50* inside and its 30* outside. No chicks in it yet.
 
Wool hen. The idea is that the chicks body heat gets trapped in the wool and will keep the temp up to 90+. The heat mat is just there for my peace of mind right now and because I wont have the numbers necessary to produce that much heat at 30* for a few weeks.
 
Well I had to adjust my plans slightly. Damn TSC and their easter sale on Bantys! I ended up adding in my mama heating pad to the wool hen. Kind of curved into a c shape along one wall. Cause little tiny banties definately needed the supplemental heat. Will post some pics when I get back on my computer, for whatever reason my phone does not allow me to upload photos to a forum.
 

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